I: Monsters
by Noc007
Summary: Who would have thought being related to Bella, I'd be unwillingly a part of a world I never knew existed. A world where I'm both a potential food source and valuable to one particular breed of monsters. So, whoever said I had to go along with it?


_**Summary: **__  
__Vanessa is exposed to a whole new world during her cousin's 18th birthday party at the Cullens. Unfortunately for her, she is Jasper's Singer. Things only get more complicated when one of the __werewolves__ also imprints on her. So, can life get any worse? Certainly!_

**Author's Notes:  
**This story is being written out of pure fun; I do not necessarily consider this to be a serious project. The story is OC-centric and parallels with the original storyline -at certain points- starting with New Moon. Naturally, this is an AU fic.

* * *

**Chapter One - Curriculum vitae**

-_The course of one's life-_

* * *

_A timid person is frightened before a danger,_

_a coward during the time, _

_and a courageous person afterward._

_- Jean Paul Richter -_

--

I had known about this trip, had been there through the details down to the minute I would arrive in Port Angeles; yet, once I stepped out of the small plane and into the tarmac, I felt extremely out of place. Perhaps I was just disoriented, what with the long flight from San Diego to Seattle followed by taking another hour-long flight up to Port Angeles. But I knew better, as I followed the line of people towards the terminal, my reason for feeling this way was because I had not paid attention. I had not listened as my future was being laid out in the old familiar round dining table back home.

It is one thing to be _physically _there and another to be mind-_and-_body there.

It was simple, really.

In any normal situation, I would have been attentive but that was not the case. After all, how many people are on high alert and active after a loved one had died? None that I know of. It's numbness they feel, they are dazed and… well… that's what I have been through myself.

It had been nearly two weeks since it happened, since my dad was killed in a car accident on his way home. It's true what they say -whoever they are- that whenever an important event happens, one that impacts your life one way or another, you can always remember what you were doing at that time. It was the evening, a Wednesday. I was at a friends house, we were watching a movie '_The Pianist' _when the phone rang; I was too engrossed in the movie to notice my friend's reaction before I was called to her attention.

'_Vanessa,_ _your dad's at the hospital, he's been in a car accident.' _

He was pronounced dead when he arrived in the emergency room, there was nothing the doctors could have done to save him. Since I was a minor and had no one to authorize for me, I was not allowed to see him for the last time. Both my friend and her mother were with me and so was Jessica, a close family friend who arrived shortly after us; while I was _officially _the next of kin, I could not make any decisions -thankfully- and it was Jessica who dealt with the papers. A day later I found out she was chosen by my father to take care of any important documents where he unable to do so. Since our closest relative happened to live in a different state altogether, it was fitting that Jessica had the role. This role also extended to my well-being; she was temporarily declared as my guardian.

I was in mourning; I did not care what happened to me but Jessica still sought for my input during the following days. Most of the time I was merely a zombie, responding with yeses and no's, but there were times where I was tuned in to her questions. During those moments, I found out my dad had appointed Charlie, my uncle from Washington, the legal guardianship over his only daughter. By the time Jessica mentioned this to me, she had already made the call. I remembered being surprised about this and while it made sense -him being family and _the _only one- I was unnerved but it passed when a different topic was brought up.

I was required to move from Southern California to Washington.

That was the only thing I had no say in; I was required, due to the legalities of being a minor, to transfer my life from one location to another until I come of age. As much as I would have preferred to stay with Jessica, it was out of the question. There was no other option but to accept the fact that I would have to start a new life and a new school. My birthday won't be for another couple of months and even though I thought of returning once I turned eighteen, I decided against it; I planned on waiting until I graduated, that way, I would not be 'running around' to catch up on the curriculum from my original school. By doing this, I would stay in Forks for only a year.

Not only has Jessica exchanged calls with Charlie concerning the important stuff, but she also oversaw my father's cremation. In his will -which is how I found out about my guardianship- he had requested his ashes to be buried in Forks where he grew up. So not only did I bring my own stuff that I could not part with but my father's ashes as well. I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me because it did; it wasn't the fact that I _knew _what was inside the small box that I carried as I traveled but the idea that it was once my father. There was just something freaky and overwhelming about it. I suppose for that same reason I never placed it directly on a surface where someone would sit; even with an empty spot beside me, I would still hold it on my lap. Something to do with respect, I guess.

_Respect for the dead, _such a funny thought.

The only things I brought along with me was enough to fit between the backpack I carried and the medium sized suitcase. That involved some of my favorite clothes along with the important objects I couldn't part with. Since we lived in an apartment, there was no way I could keep everything -not even in a storage room- so, with Jessica's help, I managed to sell a couple of things before leaving the rest for Jessica to do for me. It was weird as I watched one thing after another be whisked away by a complete stranger; I suppose you could say I have grown fond of them, which is a weird thing to feel for an inanimate object but it happened. _Good-bye television, good-bye computer desk… _

I cupped my hands over my mouth, warming them up with my breath as I stared at the entrance of the terminal; the wide, automatic, sliding glass doors were being held open by some strange looking prop, which, naturally, allowed the cold air in. Even though I had experienced the weather when I stepped out of the small plane, the cold atmosphere I now experienced was drastically different. Had I known it would be this cold, I would have worn warmer clothes and a pair of gloves; even so, I did not have that kind of clothing in my wardrobe considering the city I lived in. The only warm thing I had on me was my black hoodie and even then, it was barely enough. Letting out an audible sigh, I pulled the hood over my head but not before I quickly tied my dark hair into a loose ponytail.

_Sure, there weren't many people in the terminal right now but couldn't they at least be considerate of those who were? _

It was September, a Friday, and my first week as a senior in high school would have ended; the weather would still be moderately warm only to get warmer during October. I found it mildly amusing that through my short, seventeen years of life, I had complained about the weather and here I was, living in the kind I wanted to experience.

_Yeah, I did not like this one bit. _

I carefully pulled out the cell from the front pockets of my pants and as I did, I made sure not to tip over the box I held. Once the cell was comfortably placed in my hand, I checked the time. _Two-seventeen. _

It was agreed -through Jessica- that my uncle, Charlie would be waiting for me once the plane landed and I was mildly surprised that I did not find him here. Jessica had called to check-up on me as I trudged with my bags to wait for him at the benches; I lied to her about meeting him since I did not want to worry her. I knew he was Fork's chief of police and was sure he was caught up with something; at worst, I had the number of the station though I was sure it would not get to that point.

Still… he was _supposed _to be here by one-thirty.

I shot another glance at the terminal's open doors, expecting to see him but saw nothing but empty space. I then turned my sight towards the vending machines near the doors; the last thing I eaten was a granola bar and a handful of grapes and that was before eight in the morning. While I would have preferred to have some real food, I would have to settle for a snack.

As I stood in front of the machine undecided what to pick amongst the snacks, I caught at the corner of my eye someone entering through the doors. It was at that same moment when I decided to get a better view of that person that he did the same.

It was _him_.

My chest constricted at sight of him, my breath was caught in my windpipe and my throat went dry as I stared at him in bewilderment.

_He… my dad… he…_

"Vanessa?" He asked from where he stood, a flicker of confusion crossed over his familiar features.

I slumped my shoulder against the vending machine, my arms tightly wrapped around the box I have been holding since the beginning of my trip. _Even the voice… _I could feel my eyes tear up and I quickly shut my eyelids.

…_but he's… _

"Hey, are you all right?" He touched my shoulder and somehow that broke the spell I was under. I snapped my eyes open and looked up tentatively to his own chocolate brown ones.

I let out a shuddering sigh, "I-I am all right." His brows furrowed; he did not believe me. A nervous chuckle escaped through my lips, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…." I trailed, trying to muster a smile but quickly gave up on that and turned to face the floor.

_God, I felt stupid… _

"Oh!" he muttered seeming to realize what just happened. "Vanessa, I'm _so _sorry." He honestly looked ashamed and that only made me feel even worse.

I yanked the hood of my head, "there's nothing for you to apologize. You two were just born that way." I said, chuckling lightly.

That seemed to lift the mood a little.

They _were _identical twins after all.


End file.
